Mumbai: AI is the talk of the town. Brands across industries are adopting AI in different forms.
In tune with the times, News Media too is stepping up AI adoption. News 1st, Karnataka’s fastest growing news brand, has become South India’s first regional news channel to generate an AI-based Meta human news anchor.
She’s called AI Maya. She can do everything a regular news anchor can. Question, debate and look the part. And she’ll be on News 1st everyday.
“News First is in the forefront of programming and technological innovation. We’ve always been the first to adapt and adopt, be it broadcast technology, on-air graphics softwares, program content, or program names. So moving first on AI and integrating an AI-based Meta Human News Anchor into our broadcasting was only natural for us,” said News 1st Kannada MD & CEO S Ravikumar.
It took News First three months to evolve, identify and create this impressive AI model for its viewers. AI Maya is conversant in multiple languages. But for News First’s viewers, she will start by delivering news in Kannada on TV & Digital. AI Maya is also ready to deliver news in English.
“We are looking for Maya to utilise machine learning algorithms to revolutionise TV presentation by a meta-human. We will be deploying this for news and special stories,” said News 1st Kannada editor-in-chief Maruthi SH.
News First has taken the lead in ushering in technology, AI-generated news delivery, revolutionising news production and setting a landmark for regional news broadcasters in the south.
“This is just the beginning. Maya has delivered her first news bulletin and showcased her knowledge & linguistic capabilities in English and Kannada. We are now working on training her to deliver a more interactive programme soon,” said Ravikumar.
The MD & CEO of News First, S Ravikumar has interviewed Ai Maya to understand her capabilities and excellence in news presentation. The question and answer session was aired by News First Kannada at 8:30pm on Thursday, 13 July.
A unique ASK MAYA daily show is in the works. Viewers can pose their questions to MAYA via the dedicated WhatsApp phone number or email id provided. The top five viewer questions of the day will be answered by Maya at a scheduled time slot.
The team is working to make Maya more interactive to be able to answer questions in real-time and replace the traditional news delivery.
Like they say, it’s all Maya. Now it’s AI Maya from News 1st Kannada.
